Dare You To Believe
by BobWhite
Summary: Author's note inside. I did not like how the episode of Washita ended. I wanted to send Snow Bird, No Harm and the others on a spiritual journey after there death. Pls R&R 2 find out.
1. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

I didn't like that all the Cheyenne except Cloud Dancing were killed in Washita but understand that the historical value of what happened had to be taught. This is my version of what I think happened to the spirits of the dead Cheyenne. It also goes along the same lines as the Brother Bear movies.

This story is to show how I think the people of Colorado Springs and the victims in the story and show reacted to the whole attack. Ingrid is still alive in this story, as I do not like that she was killed off either. She will always be alive in all of my stories. Refer to "We Have The Rest of Our Lives Ahead of Us", posted as one of my stories as well".


	2. An Attack

**Full Summary:**

Sachi Thompson was killed by a shark nearly one year ago. Snow Bird and the other Cheyenne were killed at Washita around the same time Sachi died. Their spirits have merged on one place, now home to both of their families. What happens when Sachi's brother starts seeing her around town? What happens when the Aurora Borealis appears over the meadow? Will the reason the spirits of these loved ones finally be revealed? And when these loved ones died, where did their spirits end up?

**An Attack:**

**Pennsylvania Beach Resort: Sachi:**

I was in the ocean with my brother and sisters. We were laughing, just having a good time on the beach. It had been the first time we had been to the beach since the passing of our parents, nearly three months ago. They had been killed when the earth shook under our feet one morning. Many people had been killed that day, and we had become orphans that day as well. But somehow we still survived, one day at a time. My name was Sachi, the meaning meant simply: Bear*. My mother had a knack for naming her children after animals. My brother's name is John, not named after an animal because our father named him. My sisters' names are Posetha: Cat, Sisilia: Buffalo, Árusa: Horse and Bo'nai: Mouse.

It was a hot day, during the last month of school. I would be graduating this year and heading into hopefully college. John was one year younger than me, but we understood what we had to do for our family to survive. This was to be our last month in Pennsylvania. We were heading west to Colorado Springs, where we would start over. We had nearly everything packed up and ready for the journey, and our house would be sold soon so we needed to be ready to leave immediately. The money was going to help us with the journey. We were going to be taking the train nearly the whole way and I knew our folks would be proud of us.

I saw Bo move towards the beach as my other sisters did the same. They liked the water, but I was the one that always loved to swim. It was as if I had been born in the water, as if I were a real life mermaid. But being a mermaid didn't help me that day. John looked towards our sisters as they moved to the beach. It was only a second that he looked away. And when the whistle was blown by the lifeguard to get out of the water, John's head whipped around so fast he felt his neck crack. I was farther out then he was, near where the ocean bottom dropped away into the deep sea. John felt something brush his leg and then he screamed my name as I went under.

I fought to get back to the surface, kicked at whatever had dragged me under. I could hear someone screaming my name; hear the sound of water rushing into my ears. I opened my eyes as I was let go for a minute and what I saw made me rush to the surface. I screamed the second my head broke the water's surface. I kept screaming as the shark came around for a second strike. My scream ended as I was drug under the water again. I kicked and hit the shark with my fists and feet. It let go again. I popped back above the water. This time, as I screamed I saw a boat rushing to help me. John was somehow by my side and when the shark came around for a third strike, John slammed a knife into its gills. The shark took off but didn't get far.

John pulled me to the shore, the boat stayed in the water looking for the shark. The shark was found minutes after John and I got to the shore. It was dead but it had done what it had wanted. It had eaten before it died. John covered my body with a towel given to him by a beachgoer. He looked at his younger sisters who were sitting on their towels, twenty steps from where I now lay. He looked back down at me. He saw me gasp for air and knew that I was going to die. The doctors were unable to get to be fast enough. I gasped one more time before the air left my lungs.

Sachi was dead, but what was to become of her spirit?

**Washita: Snow Bird:**

They fell into our camp before the sun rose. We never had a chance to fight back. Most of us were still sleeping. Those that were able to run didn't get far. Black Kettle and his wife were by the river, getting water for that morning's breakfast. We were told we would be safe if we headed south to Fort Cobb. I guess we were wrong to once again trust the white man and his words.

I heard horses approaching at a quick speed. I was losing my breath to live fast and I wanted to see my husband before I died. I needed to see him, to tell him that I would be alright. I could hear them searching for any living among the people. I didn't even realize that Sully was standing over me until he called for Cloud Dancing and Dr. Mike. Relief spread over me as I knew my husband had come. I told them what happened, told them we were unable to fight back. I told Cloud Dancing that I loved him and then my breath left me. I was not alone when I died.

I thought I would journey with the rest of my people to the final resting place in the sky, but we were wrong again. We didn't go to the sky like we thought. Our spirits stayed on the mother earth. We watched as Cloud Dancing, Sully & Dr. Mike prepared our burial sites. Cloud Dancing went a different way while Sully & Dr. Mike took the only living survivor of that horrible day back to Colorado Springs with them. I later learned his name was Live In Hopes, something Black Kettle had last said to both Sully & Dr. Mike. I would miss my husband and friends dearly, but I knew that our being on mother earth still meant something.

Though our friends and loved ones could not see us, we could see them. No Harm came over and stood next to me and I took his hand. He asked what would happen to our spirits since we did not go to the final resting place in the sky. I told him that I did not know. Shortly after he asked that question and our friends had departed the area where we were killed, the animals of the surrounding area came out into the opening. One animal in particular seemed different than the rest. It was a bear.

The bear walked up to where we were standing and stepped back a few paces before the real transformation began. The bear turned into a white child of about fourteen moons. She stood in front of us but did not seem to see our color or the fact that we were not white. She smiled, a pretty smile I noticed before No Harm pointed at the scar around her chest, something I had overlooked. The girl had what looked like a very big fish bite on her chest. She came to us. Smiled at myself and my people. She bent down to No Harm and extended her hand as if to say it was okay for him to take it. He looked at me but I was still so amazed at the fact that this bear had been a human spirit.

What were we to do now?

**Vocabulary:**

***Sachi:** Bear [Not true, but I liked the name so it is true in this story]

**Posetha:** Cat [Shawnee Tribes]

**Árusa:** Horse [Pawnee Tribes]

**Sisilia:** Buffalo [Lenape-Delaware Tribes]

**Bo'nai:** Mouse [Shoshoni Tribes]

**A**


	3. Spirit Animals

**Spirit Animals:**

**Washita:**

Sachi was smiling at No Harm, extending her hand so that he would know that it was okay to be afraid. She stood up and looked at Snow Bird and smiled again. She turned to the rest of the animals that had come out of the surrounding forest and whistled. They moved forward, towards the spirits of the Cheyenne Indians. They stopped near enough to hear the conversation that followed, to allow Sachi to tell the Cheyenne why she had come and why the rest of the animals were there as well.

"It is alright, they are only here to help. I am Sachi. We were here when the soldiers attacked, but we knew what would happen."

"How long have you been dead Ms. Sachi?" _No Harm asked._

"I died three days ago. I was in the ocean with my family when a whistle to get out of the water was blown. I moved to the shore but not before I was attacked."

"What attacked you?" _Snow Bird asked._

"A great white shark; I have learned though, that I was not the only victim of that shark. My brother managed to stab it in the gills with a knife when it came around for a third strike. I was dead five minutes after my brother got me to the beach. I wish it didn't happen to me, but it did, and I've gotten a second chance at life with the animals. Which is why I am here. The animals have decided to allow your spirits into their bodies until a time to leave. We can watch over our loved ones and be ready to leave this world at the specific time."

"And what time would that be? When are we to follow our ancestors to the resting place in the sky?"

"When the lights touch the earth, that is when we will leave this planet and journey to the resting place in the sky."

"And you are coming with us?"

"My mother was of the Lakota Tribe before marrying my father who was white. She chose to let her people live through her, but in a world where even the nicest people still look at you as if you are nothing."

"We had white friends as well; one of them was a woman doctor. She understood what being looked at meant. People looked at her all the time when she said she was a doctor. My husband will know that I am at peace when I show up at his tepee. We are allowed to do that are we not?"

"Yes, we are, but not for some time. I cannot go and see my family right away; though they are moving to Colorado Springs like we had planned when I graduated school. We have to be in our animal bodies for at least a year before we can show our spirits to our loved ones."

"That sounds good. The animals are allowing us to take over their spirits so that we can make it to these lights you are talking about?"

"Yes, I was surprised at first as well, but it seemed like a good thing. And the animals we take over will just come with us when we walk into the lights and leave this planet behind for good. And who knows, maybe more spirits along the way will join us. According to the bear's spirit that vacated this body I took over, many more spirits are to make the journey together, more than me and you and the rest of the Cheyenne, mostly they will be Indians, but there will be some white children as well. Adult whites are not allowed to take the light journey or take over an animal's spirit, though I am not so sure why that is."

"Maybe because some white adults don't have the goodness that children have. But why let Indian adults take over animals as well?" _No Harm asked._

"When Indians are killed for no reason by white soldiers as they are making their way peacefully to a place the government asked them to go is the reason. It was not fair that you were all killed but it is what was meant to happen. I am sorry that you are all dead, but at least one of you lived and will know that he was loved by his people to the point that a little boy covered him to keep him from being killed. It is time to pick your animal. I will stay as the bear. What would you like to be No Harm?"

"Is there a bald eagle with the rest of the animals? I have always liked bald eagles."

"You will take over the bald eagle. Snow Bird, why don't you take over the snow bird that sits next to the bald eagle? The others can pick their animals out. You will soon be with your loved ones in the final resting place in the sky. This next year will fly by like you never thought as you take over the lives of the animal spirits you take over. Shall we No Harm?"

No Harm smiled and took my hand as I led him, Snow Bird and the rest of their people towards the animals as they moved to a place where the human spirits could take over their spirits. Once all the human spirits were in the animal spirits we didn't leave right away. We would stay together but make it look like we weren't together. We were humans in animal bodies that had been given a chance to look over our families and friends without them knowing that we were even there.

**Colorado Springs:**

Sachi, Snow Bird and No Harm sat in the shadows of the town, watching as the ones they loved went about their lives. The Thompson kids had just gotten into town with all of their belongings and were setting up a tent over with the rest of the squatters across the bridge. Though the kids could sense that they were not welcome, mostly because of the kids' names, they didn't seem to mind. John was the only one that seemed to be liked, which was mostly because of his white name. Sachi watched as her brother set up the tent and helped her younger sisters down from the wagon. John had bought the wagon and loaded their belongings into it shortly after arriving at the train station in Colorado Springs. He would need it for his work anyhow.

John was to be getting a job working for a local rancher who needed his cows tended to. Sachi could tell that in the few months since her death, her family had had a hard time. She was the oldest child in the family and now it just left John, who wouldn't be able to finish his schooling since he now had to take care of his sisters. They however, would be starting school as soon as possible. He wanted to make sure that not only did he respect his parents' requests that the kids stay in school but also Sachi's request. Sachi was always the one that liked school and though John was okay at school, he did not mind that he would have to give it up for a chance that his sisters might prosper in school.

No Harm saw his friend Brian walking through the meadow to the Clinic where his mother worked. No Harm had given Brian his flute as a token of their friendship and Brian had given No Harm his pocket knife that his grandmother had given him. They had become friends when No Harm had gone to live with Dr. Mike and Sully after no food had been given to the Indians on the Reservation. Dr. Mike had taken him into her home and fed him until he was healthy enough to go back to the Reservation. But it turned out that that was the last time that he ever saw his friend Brian. No Harm had saved the little Cheyenne baby Live In Hopes so the soldiers wouldn't kill him.

Snow Dove was watching her husband Cloud Dancing. Cloud Dancing was in town to sell some corn from the Reservation land. Mr. Bray had agreed to sell the corn and whatever else the Indians wanted to sell. Cloud Dancing was also in town to see Dr. Mike and to give her some herbs that he had collected. He seemed happy to be around friends and Sully clasped his arm in friendship. They walked into the clinic and the loved ones they were watching over were lost to them for a while. Snow Dove and No Harm noticed that Sachi was no longer near them. They moved over to where she had moved to and then they saw what she was looking at. Her sisters were getting pushed around by some kids near the General Store. They had been around Sachi long enough to know when she was about to get defensive. They could not stop her as she made a beeline for the store and for those that were pushing her sisters around.

Sachi was standing in front of the kids that had been pushing her sisters around in minutes. The kids screamed and though her sisters should have screamed as well, they didn't. In fact, the young girls seemed at peace near the big bear. The people in town grabbed away the other kids and as Sachi went back to all fours, John showed up. He stopped short at the site of the female bear who had protected his sisters. Sachi turned her head slightly and looked at John. The same look she had given to him while she was still alive told him all he needed to know. John watched the bear walk out of town as the townspeople prepared to go after it. His sisters asked why he was so silent and his youngest sister asked him if Sachi was coming back. The townspeople looked at the siblings and wondered what the youngest was asking.

_**More to come in next chapter…**_

_**Please Review…**_


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